Chevrolet Silverado News

Since the day the first Ram Truck arrived in Australia it feels like there has been a growing chorus of people looking to get US-style pickups (or utes, as we call them) banned.Some have argued they are simply too big for Australian roads, but the primary reason for this has been safety.ANCAP in particular has taken an interest in US utes, creating a specific testing program to assess the merits of the Active Driver Safety Assistance (ADAS) systems of the likes of the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado, Ram 1500, Toyota Tundra and Toyota LandCruiser 79 Series.The concern from ANCAP and other anti-American ute campaigners is that these bigger vehicles create a more dangerous environment for pedestrians and cyclists. But I find this argument a bit strange and, frankly, the entire movement against these types of vehicles potentially opens up the question of mandating what people can and can’t drive - which is very problematic in my personal opinion.Now, don’t get me wrong, I would not like a Tundra to crash into me crossing the street. But I also wouldn’t want a Toyota Yaris to run over me either. I’m sure the Tundra might do a bit more damage, but I feel like any impact between car and pedestrian is going to leave the pedestrian worse off.But the last time I checked our roads were filled with light trucks, like the Fuso Canter, Iveco Daily and Hino 300 Series as well as the odd heavy truck and the occasional bus (sarcasm intended). Obviously there is a difference between a bus and a pickup truck in terms of its role within society, but simply saying one is a danger to our roads while ignoring the other is disingenuous, at best.Why is it ok for someone to drive a Canter for their delivery business but not drive an F-150 for a weekend away camping when they have to tow a large caravan. Or why are we ok with someone driving a Hino in the city but not a Tundra pulling a horse float.To be fully transparent, I don’t really like these types of utes. I don’t think they make a lot of sense if you live in a major city. My brother used to live in Oklahoma and every driveway had some sort of Tundra/Silverado/1500/F-150 and they made perfect sense there. The roads are nice and wide and every shop has US-sized parking lots, and very few are multi-storey parking either.I am the definition of a ‘city-slicker’, I've spent my entire life in the city and suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, and I have no caravan, horse float or similar that requires towing, so the idea of trying to live with such a big ute makes no sense to me.When I have tested these utes, even living with them for a week is challenging, because they simply do not fit everywhere. I find myself googling the maximum height of every car park I plan on visiting - and they don’t always fit.But while they aren’t for me, I find the very idea of banning or even campaigning against a car because it doesn’t suit your personal lifestyle a dangerous path to tread. Obviously the government needs to dictate certain safety requirements, but I don’t think many of us want the government saying what size of car we are allowed to drive.Because by that logic, and the argument that US utes are more dangerous than Australian-sized ones, then SUVs should be a major focus of safety groups. The modern SUV is designed for urban use, not going off-road like the original concept. A Toyota Yaris does the exact same job as a Yaris Cross but is taller and therefore, arguably, not as safe for pedestrians. Something like a BMW X5 is obviously taller and has a bigger frontal area than a 5-Series sedan. So why aren’t we banning urban-focused SUVs?Because nobody wants to be told what they can and can’t drive, it leads us down a slippery slope of government over-regulation and ultimately denies us choice depending on our lifestyle and needs.So before you throw stones at a US-sized ute, take a look at what’s in your driveway…

General Motors Speciality Vehicles (GMSV) has updated the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pick-up, giving it more payload capacity than ever before.From August 1, all locally converted versions of the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ Premium will offer 942kg of payload, which is an increase of 194kg over the pre-update version.Meanwhile the Silverado 1500 ZR2 will offer 922kg of payload, which is an increase of 209kg over the pre-update version.With this payload increase, it sees the gross vehicle mass (GVM) increase from 3300kg to 3505kg. This sees it move from a NA (light goods vehicle) to NB1 (medium goods vehicle) certification.This reclassification means the Silverado 1500 will be exempt from the Federal Government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), at least for the time being.Vehicles with a GVM between 3500kg and 3855kg are exempt from the NVES until June 30, 2027.This comes as General Motors (encompassing Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC) was the brand with the fifth-highest penalties last year as it missed the CO2 emissions target.It’s currently on the hook for fines up to $6.59 million unless it can sell more vehicles under the targets in successive years, or purchase credits from carmakers under the targets.Another reason why this move from NA to NB1 vehicle classification for the Silverado 1500 is timely is it sidesteps a newly introduced Australian Design Rule (ADR), which mandates that all new vehicles on sale in Australia from August 1, 2026, must have autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection.However, the Silverado 1500 is already equipped with this active safety technology.Other tweaks with this update include black badging and lettering on the exterior, plus the Z71 off-road suspension with Rancho shocks branding in the LTZ Premium has been replaced by off-road suspension with twin-tube dampers.Power across the line-up still comes from a 6.2-litre naturally aspirated V8 engine that produces 313kW and 624Nm. It’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission with drive sent through a four-wheel drive system with full-time capabilities.The 2027 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 line-up now starts at $135,990, before on-road costs, for the 1500 LTZ Premium and $147,490, before on-road costs, for the ZR2. This is a $1000 price rise when compared to the pre-update model.All versions of the Silverado 1500 continue to be produced in Mexico and then remanufactured from left- to right-hand drive by Walkinshaw in Melbourne, Victoria.Walkinshaw also converts the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, Toyota Tundra, as well as the Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 from left- to right-hand drive at its facility.

You know things are getting serious when a US pick-up style ute’s towing capacity reaches the 8.0-tonne mark.And that’s exactly what’s happened with the introduction of a factory 5th Wheel Hitch option for the MY26 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD.The new feature will be available from Q3 2026 build, offering the choice of a 50mm pin coupling or a 3.0-inch ‘gooseball’.As the name implies, a pin coupling uses a solid vertical pin and is best suited to off-road or agricultural towing, while a gooseneck ball uses a large, heavy-duty ball-and-socket connection in the load bed and is more appropriate for large on-road trailers.The package incorporates a factory air brake system “specifically designed, tested and installed as an integrated package.”It includes a chassis structure and bed attachment plate, added trailer connectors at the front of the load bed, trailer brake airlines and additional interior controls and warning lights for the driver.Once the 5th Wheel Hitch option box is ticked its installation will be included in the Silverado’s local left- to right-hand drive remanufacturing process and covered by GM’s five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty but is not available for purchase separately.Launching the option, GM Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Jess Bala said, “The new Genuine 5th Wheel Hitch option expands what Silverado 2500 can already do, while preserving the premium refinement and heavy-duty performance they expect from the vehicle.”It’s worth noting an 8000kg towing capacity means Silverado’s fitted with the fifth wheel will be NB2-certified so specific licensing requirements apply, and GMSV advises prospective buyers to check in with their relevant state or territory roads authority for further details.Pricing

Chevrolet has released a substantially upgraded 2027 version of its Silverado 1500 full-size pick-up with the headline change being adoption of the latest, sixth-generation ‘LS6’ version of GM’s small block V8 in 5.7- and 6.6-litre form.GM hasn’t released specs for the 5.7L and 6.6L V8s but dealer and industry reports point to outputs of around 300kW/580Nm and 350kW/680Nm, respectively. Scheduled to hit US showrooms before the end of the year, the new Silverado will continue to offer four powertrain options in North America - the two petrol V8s as well as an “enhanced” version of the 2.7-litre ‘TurboMax’ four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and the ‘Duramax’ 3.0-litre turbo-diesel inline six-cylinder.The Silverado 1500 is currently sold in Australia in two trim levels - LTZ Premium and ZR2, powered by the now out-moded 6.2-litre ‘EcoTec3’ naturally aspirated petrol V8.In the States the 2027 Silverado will boast seven trims - ZR2, Trail Boss, Custom Trail Boss, Work Truck, Custom, Silverado (formerly LT) and High Country.Introducing the Silverado LS6 engines, GM Executive Chief Engineer Mark Dickens said, “We pushed these engines through an extensive testing and validation process to make sure they deliver the durability, capability and dependability Silverado customers expect.”The LS6 engine debuted in the Corvette earlier this year in 6.7-litre (400kW/705Nm) form and the Silverado powerplants will be produced at GM’s Flint Engine Operations centre in Michigan as well as its Tonawanda Propulsion plant in New York State and the St. Catharines Propulsion facility just over the border in Ontario, Canada.As well as the new under-bonnet hardware the updated Silverado features a revised exterior with a new nose treatment incorporating LED headlights, tweaked LED tail-lights, chunkier wheel arch fenders and rocker panels as well as a standard dual exhaust (on Custom grade and above).Inside, the revised dash is highlighted by a new “edge-to-edge display” comprising a 16.3-inch central media display and a 12.2-inch digital instrument screen.A head-up display and 11.5-inch front passenger screen are standard on the ZR2 and High Country.The Z71 package will now be standard on 4WD models in the US, including skid plates, hill descent control and off-road suspension.When contacted for comment on potential local launch timing for the new Silverado a GM Australia & New Zealand spokesperson told CarsGuide, “Whilst we are excited by the news of the next generation Silverado, currently we have no announcements to make on future models for the ANZ region.”

Utes have been affected substantially by increasing fuel prices, thanks to their large fuel tanks and often thirsty turbo-diesel engines.Diesel fuel prices have jumped to more than $3 per litre, making filling up a diesel ute more expensive than ever.CarsGuide has compiled a list of all the diesel dual-cab pick-up utes on sale, calculating the yearly cost of each at $3.07 per litre (the average price in NSW on 31/3/26) over 15,000km.Isuzu Ute’s D-Max and Mazda BT-50 2.2-litre turbo-diesel variants are the efficiency leaders. The mechanically identical pair of utes cost $3038.02 in fuel in a year, averaging 6.6L/100km.The Ford Ranger’s single turbo-diesel 2.0-litre is next on the list, averaging 6.9L/100km, which equates to $3177.45 over 15,000km. The new mild hybrid Toyota HiLux also has a competitive efficiency figure of 7.1L/100km, which is a little cheaper in fuel than the standard turbo-diesel variants. Three-litre variants of the BT-50 and D-Max vary in cost, given fuel consumption fluctuates between 7.1L/100km and 7.8L/100km depending on the variant.The KGM Musso is one of the thirstiest of the utes, with its up to 9.0L/100km, costing more than $4000 over the course of a year.  The GWM Cannon Alpha diesel was the other ute to exceed the $4000 mark. Concluding the list are the gas guzzling full-size American pick-ups, in Ram’s 2500 and the Chevrolet Silverado HD. Both have V8 diesel engines with a capacity of more than 6.0-litres, meaning they cost more than $7000 over the course of a year.2026 ute fuel figures Australia  *Dependent on variant**Ram does not provide official figures for fuel consumption. This figure is sourced from CarsGuide's real world testing.***Chevrolet does not provide official figures for fuel consumption. This figure is sourced from CarsGuide's real world testing.

Fuel prices are soaring across the board whether it is petrol or diesel. Some drivers are being more affected than others as lower fuel efficiency contributes to higher refuelling costs. Here are the most expensive cars to run currently in Australia based on fuel efficiency. Other contributing factors to the high fuel costs on this list include the fact many of the cars have big fuel tanks and require premium fuel.Fuel prices have been calculated using the average prices for fuel in New South Wales and at an average of 15,000km driven per year. Among the heaviest guzzlers is the Nissan Patrol four-wheel drive, with its 5.6-litre V8 drinking fuel at a rate of 14.4L/100km. Its 140-litre fuel tank and requirement for premium unleaded petrol means it costs $364 per fill-up and a total yearly cost of $5617.28. The Patrol will move to a more efficient 3.5-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol, which is expected to reduce fuel costs. The Ford Mustang sports car is another V8 on this list, with its 5.0-litre unit registering average fuel efficiency at 13.6L/100km and a yearly cost of $5310.27.Ford’s other representative is the Ranger Raptor high-end ute, powered by a twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol engine costing $4482.76 per year. The Ineos Grenadier off-roader is the most expensive model to run and costs $5618.50 a year to run, in part due to it being diesel, which has been the fuel type that has increased the most. The Lexus GX550 has refuelling costs of $208 per fill-up currently, costing $4800 for the year, along with nearly $3000 for the Jeep Gladiator, which unlike many on this list can run off E10 fuel.The 6.2-litre petrol V8 found in the Chevrolet Silverado full-size pick-up has an economy of more than 12 litres per 100km, costing $4,356.30 over the year.  Genesis’ GV70 luxury SUV costs more $4400 per year in fuel, a similar figure to the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 variants of the Land Rover Defender. Highest fuel efficiency new vehicles on sale under $150,000 

With the hammer predicted to drop on EV subsides in the coming weeks, there are growing calls to instead shine the spotlight on Australia's ute segment, where similar tax breaks exist for "commercial vehicles."

Why do the full-sized American dual-cab pick-ups cost so much in Australia?In 2019, the price gap between the range-topping Ford Ranger Raptor mid-sized ute from $75,990 and the cheapest Ram 1500 Express from $79,950, was less than $5000.But, while today’s Raptor has jumped to $90,690, the least-expensive Ram has leaped to $141,950 in Laramie Sport and Rebel grades.The price difference between the two utes is 10 times more than what it used to be.So, what gives, especially when, back in its US home market, said Rams kick off from just over $A92,000 post-currency conversion. Even with the cost of shipping, shouldn’t the 1500 slip in at under $100K?As it turns out, not a chance.Not even with lower ex-factory pricing for third-party importers Ateco Automotive, since the Ram, like all of the full-sized American utes, must undergo highly complex and very expensive transformation processes before and after each model lands on Australian soil.One that goes well beyond swapping the steering wheel over to the proper side.To start with, even prior to launch, there are mandatory Australian compliance and Australian Design Rules certification assessments required to be conducted in conjunction with the original manufacturer and factory. This can take months or years to complete.Once the green light is given, and a suitable vehicle engineering firm such as the Walkinshaw Automotive Group is chosen (as is the case with Ram as well as General Motors Special Vehicles’ Chevrolet Silverado and the Toyota Tundra), the utes can then be shipped over to the various remanufacturing facilities in Australia.Post customs, we’re talking about traditional production-line factory processes here, complete with all the necessary specialised equipment and skills required to handle intricate conversions.It’s worth keeping in mind that all the utes are imported as complete vehicles, in original left-hand drive (LHD) configuration, from North America, before being stripped down to thousands of pieces in Melbourne, in preparation for right-hand drive (RHD) conversion. Engines, body panels, lights, axles, wheels, dashboards, seats, trim, wiring looms… the works.One of the upshots of all this is the level of Australian engineering expertise that has been kept alive since local full-vehicle manufacturing ceased here in 2017. Many of the employees are ex Holden, Ford and Toyota.Taking in management, engineering, production-line and supplier-related personnel, the headcount in Australia alone is said to exceed 3000 people between all four brands.And still the costs add up.Then the utes undergo the remanufacturing processes, using bespoke parts necessary to meet both RHD and ADR requirements.Note that these can run up to 500 or more unique pieces per vehicle, depending on model, with many sourced within Australia using local suppliers, though some original North American factory assistance does also occur at times.It’s also worth bearing in mind that some of these parts can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to tool up here.Some vehicles require over 80 man-hours to complete the conversion job. Ram says its 200-plus production-line staff can make up to 20 utes per day, or 100 per week, depending on demand.Plus, significant investment has already been undertaken to boost production capacity, in larger and more efficient production facilities at Walkinshaw Automotive Group in the lead up to the latest Ram, Silverado and Tundra.Whether these currently run at their intended capacity following the 17.5 per cent sales downturn in full-sized American utes in Australia is not known.All this has to happen before the finished, RHD utes leave their remanufacturing facilities, to be stored and then trucked to dealers right around the country. Distribution is yet another massive expense that needs to be factored in.Then there is the added cost of meeting customer expectations.While nobody will confirm this on the record, we understand that the Australian remanufacturing processes extend to significantly improving the quality compared to the original factory source, creating extra cost to the models sold here.With over 800,000 F-Series trucks (making it America’s best-selling vehicle, period), 577,000 Silverados (at number two) and 374,000 Rams (in fifth spot overall) sold in the USA last year, the market is hyper-competitive, meaning costs are cut to keep prices low and production is fast to meet demand.The step-up in quality for Australians extends to ordering higher-specification audio, display screens, seating and trim components from the manufacturer, or replacing inferior parts with better locally-supplied items. Hard plastics and fibreglass materials just won’t cut it at the retail prices required to make a profit on these utes.Furthermore, local consumers are used to a high degree of equipment and demand best-possible safety, adding tens of thousands to the bottom line.Little wonder, then, that each model now starts at well over $120,000 on the road when it finally makes it to dealer forecourts throughout Australia, extending to nearly $200,000 for luxury grades and over one-quarter of a million dollars for specialty versions like the (now discontinued but still in stock) high-performance Ram TRX.Whether the market is willing to sustain six-figure utes at profitable volumes is another matter, but at least now you know why American pick-ups are so expensive in 2026.

Is Australia’s fascination with XXL utes waning?Ten years on from the introduction of the first Ram full-sized pick-up series converted from left-hand drive (LHD) to right-hand drive (RHD) in Melbourne, what was shaping up as a growing segment with massive promise has instead floundered in recent times.In 2025, despite recent introductions of new and/or improved models from Ram, Ford, General Motors and Toyota, sales in the Pick-Up/CC Utes above $100,000 category in Australia tumbled by 17.5 per cent compared to the year before.This has resulted in just 8763 registrations – down from 10,611 units the year before – between four main players: Ram 1500/2500/3500, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Heavy Duty, Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra.A very small pool for such big fish to hunt in. And yet there are further pitfalls that lay ahead for the not-so-humble American pick-up as we know it.There are currently other, smaller firms importing and converting specific models from the USA vying for largely the same market.One of the higher-profile ones is Brisbane-based AusEV, that has specialised in distributing and even exporting locally-remanufactured RHD versions of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric vehicle (EV) since 2024. Its main buyers are commercial, mining and agriculture based.Now representing somewhat of a bargain amongst full-sized utes, AUEEV’s Lightning in base Pro 98kWh guise has just had its price slashed by an almost unbelievable $60,000, from $169,990 to $109,990, before on-road costs.This makes it the least-expensive big ute currently offered in Australia, undercutting the cheapest, which happens to be the turbo V6-petrol powered F-150 that Ford Australia also has remanufactured from LHD but by a different entity, by about $5000.With last month’s announcement that global Lightning production has already ceased due to a lack of sales and steep losses, AusEV says that the F-150 Lightning pricing reflects its run-out mode status, ahead of a petrol-electric hybrid replacement – dubbed F-150 Lightning EREV (Extended Range EV) – taking over from 2027.Whatever the case, it’s another thorn in Ford Australia’s side, with its own F-150 finding just 792 buyers last year, due in part to stop-sale actions as a result of technical issues, that are said to have since been resolved with the recently-launched Series II models.Now, whether the F-150 can also fend off further internal competition in the form of the high-profile Ranger Super Duty, which offers some of its towing capabilities but for much less money, remains to be seen.The F-150’s 2025 sales tally was even beaten by the Tundra’s disappointing 837 units, even though it costs substantially more, though whether the Toyota is profitable as a result is not known.Finally, the big ute market in Australia has also come under pressure from Chinese utes like the BYD Shark 6 PHEV (plug-in hybrid EV) and GWM Cannon Alpha, which are slightly larger than most traditional mid-sized utes.At the Cannon’s 2024 local debut, a spokesperson even referred to it as straddling the two ute size classes, though the tape measure suggests this is optimistic.So, what’s changed in the market to cause the big-ute sales decline? Runaway pricing must surely factor strongly.Back in 2018, Ram had enjoyed surprisingly strong sales in a specialist market largely all to its own, thanks to the DS-series 1500 being successfully touted as “Eating Utes for Breakfast” from around $80,000. To put that into context, the Ford Ranger Wildtrak only cost about $5K less.Whilst lacking the latter’s sophistication, safety and finesse, the 1500 boasted both impressive girth and an evocative V8 Hemi gurgle, capturing an enthusiastic outer-suburban and rural niche where size and bulk are assets, not liabilities.But by 2024, the DS-series 1500 had been superseded by the far-more high-tech DT-series, starting from $142K. While the Ram has remained the most popular big ute in its class for eight years running, at 2674 units last year, its share slid by over 17 per cent.Exacerbating the situation is the decision to drop the old Hemi V8 for a high-tech six-cylinder turbo-petrol powertrain which, on paper, is better in every major metric, including performance and economy.But while hardcore fans have complained loud enough worldwide for Ram to reintroduce the V8 in America this year, Australians may have to wait much longer for its return.That said, there are still plenty of unsold 2024 model-year DT 1500 V8s available at dealers around Australia at the time of writing, so maybe the market for such pick-ups has been satiated anyway.Either way, with the high cost of remanufacturing today’s far-more highly-specified utes from LHD to RHD in Australia, it seems almost certain that the days of sub-$100K pricing for these big utes are gone – along with the consumers who bought these in the first place.Will American pick-up sales turn around? Don’t hold your breath.

One brand sticks with 'no replacement for displacement' philosophy.